Slice Of Life
by zapisthename
Summary: Adult life isn't easy. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny are about to find that out the hard way. Old relationships dissolve and give way to the new. Follow the Trio and Ginny, as they embark on a less adventurous second chapter of their lives. AU.
1. Slice Of Life

**Hey guys. This is my new story. The others are all a work in progress. I've noticed that my drive for writing has come back a little, so you might see updates to those stories soon. I'll primarily work on this one. This story is slightly AU and I decided to move away from Ron/Hermione for this one. Believe me, it is still my OTP, but eventually you've got to write about something else right?**

* * *

"Bah! This is impossible." Ronald Weasley said, throwing his arms up in the air. "At this rate I am never going to find someone."

"I still don't know why you have to find someone mate." Harry Potter, his best friend asked him, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Ginny told me to get you to stop doing that." Ron told him. "If I were you, I'd stop."

"Hey! I don't do it around her now, do I?" Harry asked Ron, who merely shook his head.

"It's her fault" Harry continued. "She got me these glasses, and I really don't like these glasses."

Ron rolled his eyes. For all the stoicism and poise with which he carried himself in public, Harry was the exact amount of whiney when in private.

He adjusted his hair, pushing if off his forehead as he turned his attention to the piece of paper in front of him.

"How long have you been staring at that?" Harry asked him. Ron chose not to say anything.

"Ron?" Harry asked him, his voice softer this time.

"You remember the bathroom Harry?" Ron asked him, a ghost of a smile on his face.

"I remember a lot of bathrooms, mine especially." Harry said, with a grin.

"Hey, I'm not joking around Harry." Ron said to him, his smile gone. He gripped the piece of paper, almost wanting to crush it.

"Yeah, I remember." Harry said, sensing Ron's tone. "You said something about house elves, I think it was to get them to fight?"

"Evacuate." Ron corrected him.

"Yeah. That's right. Evacuate."

They said nothing, Harry decided to concentrate on the paperwork for the case he was working on. He heard the crumpling of paper, it made him wince.

'I wonder if he's picturing Krum' Harry thought to himself.

"It's been five years since then, yeah?" Ron asked him.

"Six. I think." Harry told him. "Blimey, can you imagine how long it's been? Feels like it was just a few days ago."

They both said nothing. As Harry stared at the paperwork, he wondered what could have been if things had played out differently. He had dreams of taking the train, that one day in King's Cross. He wondered how his friends would have reacted to him dying.

He'd never told anyone what had gone on, not even his wife. It was the fact that Ginny only asked him once and figured out that she didn't have to ask him that ever again that made him love her so much. She'd been there for him the day after the war. The relationship wasn't easy, him leaving for a year and her missing out on a lot of what they did, combined with the secrecy Ron, Hermione and he were keen on maintaining meant that there were a lot of things that she never got to hear.

Ginny was a trooper. She persisted, and one day, Harry woke up without her beside him and realized that he never, ever wanted to do that again. That was around a couple of years after the war. They married a month later.

He looked at Ron. The paper in his hand was now a crumpled-up ball on the floor. His best friend seemed keen on looking at anywhere but at the paper, and yet Harry could tell that he wanted to un-crumple it and read it again. Maybe if he read it several times, he'd accept that it was happening.

"Ron?" Harry asked him. "Are you alright mate?"

He just looked at Harry, choosing not to say anything. Harry could swear that he saw his eyes glimmering.

-x-

 **Ginny**

Ginny Weasley-Potter absent-mindedly rubbed her stomach, while staring at a piece of paper in her hand.

"What do you think?" Hermione Granger asked her.

The years had been kind to them. Hermione, who was rather well known for buck teeth and bushy hair now looked- mature. She was a fast-rising star at the University, with people raving about 'the future muggle-born minister'.

Ginny on the other hand, was a successful quidditch player. She'd often brag to her husband that she was going to make more money than he did by vanquishing the dark lord. The fact that her husband encouraged her and wished that they be remembered for her achievements rather than his, made her love him even more.

"Did you send these out already?" Ginny asked Hermione, who nodded.

"Yes. Viktor and I were so excited to send them out."

Ginny groaned internally at the 'Victor and I', she loved Hermione like a sister, but the man who's heart Hermione had broken was her favourite brother.

"Are you sure you want to invite Ron?" Ginny asked her. Hermione, who'd been smiling up until this point, stopped.

"What do you mean?" she asked Ginny. "What do you mean by that?"

Ginny was taken aback by how confrontational that sounded.

"Breathe, Hermione." Ginny said to her. Hermione relaxed her shoulders a little. "Why are you so tensed?"

"It's nothing." Hermione told her.

"Well, that's a load of." Ginny paused. Should she be swearing anymore?

"You can swear Ginny." Hermione said to her. "Molly isn't around."

Ginny wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Hermione that it wasn't Molly she was worried about.

"I wanted to invite Ron, because I want the awkwardness between us to stop." Hermione told Ginny. "We used to be best friends Ginny, and then after we broke up…" she trailed off.

'You mean when you dumped him.' Ginny thought, a little bitter about the situation still.

"I want my best friend back Gin." Hermione said. She sounded pained, and Ginny softened a little.

Ron and Hermione were dysfunctional. Even their biggest well-wishers, Molly and Arthur Weasley couldn't help but talk about just how dysfunctional they were.

Ron was the kind of person who liked leaving messy plates on the counter. Hermione was the kind of person who had panic attacks upon seeing messy plates on the counter.

Their relationship was full of passion when it began. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. Molly Weasley gave up on getting them to sleep in separate rooms five days after they moved into The Burrow. Ron even managed to sit in an aircraft (that was what Harry called those flying death traps) and go to Australia to help Hermione get her parents back.

Cracks started to show after Ginny and Hermione went back to Hogwarts to finish their schooling. Ron and Harry moved into Grimmauld Place together and began attending the Auror Academy. The distance took its toll. There was more fighting, and less making up. Ginny and Harry were there for all of it. Staring. Helpless.

No one was surprised when they announced that they were no longer a couple. It happened at a family dinner that Ginny had not yet forgotten. There were some disappointed faces. Some others chose to nod. Harry and she didn't react. It was a little too much for them.

Things didn't get better. Ron, for his part, took the break up well. He was out and about the next day and had thrown himself into his work. Harry told Ginny later that he'd never seen Ron work this hard, not even before finals at the Auror Academy.

Whenever he ran into Hermione, Ron smiled and shook her hand, exchanged pleasantries. If it was possible for him to leave after that, he left. If it wasn't, he'd stay as far away from her as possible, avoiding her until leaving became a possibility.

Ginny still remembered when Hermione announced that she was seeing Viktor Krum. This was also at a family dinner. A dinner Ron had no choice but to attend.

Ginny remembered looking at the love of her life, instead of bothering with deciding between whether to look happy or sad. Harry had his eyes closed that day. A lot of the others did too.

The announcement wasn't well received by anyone, except Ron, who smiled and congratulated her, even whooping.

Ginny had been surprised by how far along her brother had come, but then she realized that it had to happen sometime. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how hurt he was on the inside.

"What about you?" Hermione asked Ginny, snapping her back to reality. "You said you wanted to talk with me about something?"

Ginny rubbed her stomach again. She hadn't told anyone yet, Hermione was going to be the first.

"I'm pregnant."

 **Ron**

Putting on a brave front was harder than he thought it would be. The day he found out Hermione was engaged to Krum, he went home and cried. He didn't let anyone see it then, and he didn't let anyone see his pain the day he found out they'd set a date and invited him to the wedding.

A lot of people told him that he and Hermione were made for each other. In hindsight, Ron thought it was ridiculous that he believed them. They were as different as could be, and he didn't know that Harry was the glue that was keeping them together.

The minute Harry's life was not in ever present danger, Hermione and Ron grew apart. He still remembered the first crack. This was back when she was attending Hogwarts and he was in the academy. She hadn't written him for a week, despite promising to write every day. Ron remembered being furious, controlling every impulse to send her a strongly worded letter. He thought it'd be better if he waited for a letter from her, and then holding on to that so she could get the message.

Of course, he found out that she was just stressed about her exams, and suddenly Ron felt terribly about the whole situation, and let it go. He'd been thinking about it ever since that happened, was he not even worth a letter?

Things didn't get any better when she came back from Hogwarts. Ron had already found a job and picked out a flat for them to live in, but Hermione told him that she wasn't comfortable moving in with him yet.

Eventually he asked her about it, she told him that she needed time to think about it. Ron asked her what she needed time for, she was quiet about that.

"We should do it over dinner, yeah?" Hermione asked Ron. She'd shown up to collect some of her things from the flat.

"Yeah." Ron could barely get the words out. His eyes were red, but it gave him great comfort that Hermione looked as bad, if not worse.

"What happens to us now Ron?" Hermione asked him just as she was about to leave.

"Well. You were the one who made this decision, maybe you can figure out the other part too." Ron said to her bitterly, before slamming the door shut.

He closed his eyes and slumped against the door, as he heard the crack of Hermione disapparating, out of his life.

He was going to go to the wedding of course. The Golden Trio needed to put up a united front after all. Ron laughed. When he was fourteen, he was jealous of Harry and his fame. Now he was twenty-four, and he just wanted to give up all the fame.

Today was going to be hard. It had been a month since he'd gotten the invitation, and he did have some time before he'd have to respond. He figured that since Hermione was going to be there today, he might as well give her his response directly.

He smiled. Ginny and Harry announced the pregnancy a week ago, and mum had thrown them a party today. Everyone who mattered to them was going to be there. Even Charlie had decided to take some time off from seeing his dragons and drag his ass home. George told him about how mum had tied him up and cut his hair.

He was happy for Harry. After everything the bloke had been through, he deserved to have the family he never had growing up, and over the years he'd realized that Ginny was perfect for him. They were perfect for each other. He closed his eyes as he thought about how he dreamed of having that family with Hermione, and how she was closer to having that dream with someone else than him.

Ron shrugged. It was hard, but he'd put on a brave front before. He could do it again.

 **Hermione**

She'd spent all of dinner staring at Ron. Everyone else was just a dull buzz in the back of her head. She would dip in to listen to Angelina and Fleur joke about baby names, occasionally she'd hear Molly talk about how grandkids were easier than children. She didn't care about any of that. She only had eyes for him.

Viktor couldn't make it today, he had quidditch practice.

Hermione thought it was for the best.

He looked good. Better than when she had last seen him, properly seen him. Their meetings these days were awkward greetings before Ron just- ran. She didn't have a better way to describe it.

He was happier too. She couldn't tell if he was putting on a show or not. He seemed to smile, joke around with Harry. She heard arguments over who the godfather was going to be. Ginny had asked her to be Godmother a long time ago.

The party wound down to a close, and one by one, everyone left. Hermione offered to stick around and help Molly clean up. Molly gave her a knowing look before agreeing, asking Ron to help her clean up too. He didn't seem to fight it very much at all.

Perhaps that was a good sign?

They settled into a comfortable routine, as all the plates began scrubbing themselves. Hermione hadn't thought this through. They were magical. Clean up could be done in a minute, maybe two. She watched as Ron began vanishing the decorations. There was an almost comfortable silence between them, but it had to break soon, and sure enough, Ron took the first step.

"Feels like we're fifteen again, doesn't it?" He asked Hermione, who smiled.

"Remember cleaning Grimmauld place?" She asked him. He groaned.

"Do you reckon life would be easier if Dumbledore told us about the horcruxes earlier?" Ron asked him. "You remember that locket, don't you?"

How could she forget? That locket had already taken him away from her once.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." They both said to each other simultaneously. They stared at each other for a minute before they broke into laughter.

"Man." Ron said. "We haven't been this in sync since…" He stopped. "Well, since, you know." He finished, rather awkwardly.

She didn't blame him.

"You go first?" She asked him.

"Oh." Ron said. "Yeah. So, I got your invitation, and I meant to respond to it earlier, but I never got the time, you know?"

Hermione just stared at Ron. She knew that was a lie. Just last week, she'd heard that Ron had taken Harry out to get drunk for the last time ever.

"But, you know, you're my best friend Mione." He said to her. Hermione's heart leapt, and she felt her breath catching. She'd forgotten how much she loved being called that, by him.

"Of course, I'm going to be at the wedding." He told her. "Sorry it took so long to respond. Also, I lost the invitation, so er…you can take care of that right?"

'Liar' Hermione thought. 'Harry told me that you crumpled it and threw it in the bin.'

Hermione told Ron that she wanted to ask him about the invitation. Ron looked relieved that it wasn't anything else. They hugged each other, and Hermione tried to smell as much of him as she could.

That night, Hermione thought of Ron and her making love as she went to bed.

The morning after, she woke up hating herself.

She realized she needed to talk to Ginny.

* * *

 **Krum/Hermione is not the final pairing. The story is going to be mostly told in long periods of time because that way at least I know I have an ending that is achievable. Other characters will also be featured throughout the story and have their own arcs.**


	2. Teetotaling

**Ron**

Shell Cottage held some bad memories for Ron. The first time he was here, it was at a particularly low point in his life, something Bill, Fleur, Harry and Hermione had kept to themselves.

He was staring at the cute little girl, who was now taking a nap on the couch. The first Weasley Grandchild, Victorie Weasley.

"When you have one of those, you're going to cherish the quiet moments." Ron turned around to see Bill looking at him, a grin on his face.

Ron nodded.

"Fleur told me you were here. What's going on Ron?" Bill asked him.

Ron always felt like he could talk to Bill. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that at the lowest point of his life, he'd been the one brother who'd shown some understanding, and cared for him, despite being unhappy with some of the decisions Ron had made.

"You're going to think this is ridiculous." He said to Bill, who gestured for him to sit.

"Firewhiskey?" Bill asked him. Ron raised his eyebrows.

"It's six in the evening." Ron said to him.

"Well I've had a long day, Ron."

"I guess I could use some firewhiskey."

"Good." Bill said, before waving his wand. A bottle of Firewhiskey floated towards them, along with a couple of glasses. Ron watched as the bottle poured itself into the glasses.

"Double right?" Bill asked him. Ron nodded.

They sat, sipping on their firewhiskey. Finally, Ron spoke up.

"It's about Hermione."

Bill had a look of understanding on his face. "Fleur suspected it was about that." He told Ron. "Actually, she was willing to bet on it."

"Don't tell me you guys are betting on my love life now." Ron said, groaning.

Bill chuckled. "Well, not me. Fleur is very good at betting. I think she has an inner gambler ready to surface, you know." He told Ron. "I can't say the same for the others."

Ron wasn't dumb. He knew how the others looked at him. Sometimes, he despised their eyes full of pity for him. Even now, having accomplished so much, being a successful Auror, he still felt like he was that insecure child who'd boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Charlie, who was away most of the year sent him letters, asking him to hang in there and find a way to quench his thirst. Ron shuddered thinking about those letters, wondering if Charlie was preaching what he practiced.

Percy and Audrey made a bit more of an effort, but they often failed at being subtle at all when trying to set him up.

George straight up told him to look for a quick shag, and when Ron turned to Angelina to punish George for what he said, he was shocked to find that she only agreed with him.

"I know they keep trying to set me up. Ginny and George are the worst about it."

Bill laughed. "Ron, you shouldn't feel bad about that. You do realize they love you right?"

"I do." Ron said. "It just, feels bad, you know, not having your life together."

Bill sipped his firewhiskey, asking him to go on.

"You ever have any second thoughts about Fleur?" Ron asked him.

Bill shook his head. "I didn't even have to think about it with her, if I'm honest." He told Ron. "We fell in love and there was no question of whether I was doing the wrong thing. It always felt- right."

"You have no idea how jealous that makes me Bill."

"Did you think you had that with Hermione?" Bill asked him.

"I did, for the longest time. But, you know, she's marrying Krum." Ron said bitterly.

"He seems like a bit of a wanker." Bill told him. Ron looked toward Victorie. He could have sworn she twitched a little.

"Hey." Bill continued. "With Dominique and Victorie, I never get to swear anymore, quit judging me for it."

"It's going to be hard seeing her commit to some other man for the rest of her life." Ron told him.

"You always do have the choice of not going to the wedding, Ron." Bill told him. "Before you say anything about keeping up appearances, hear me out."

"You've been helping out the family a lot." Bill told him. "When you came back to Shell Cottage all those years ago, I was disappointed in you. We're Weasleys Ron, we're nothing if not loyal and true to our word, and it felt like you just spit all over our name."

"But you grew so much. After the war, you were the anchor. You kept everyone from sinking. Mum still tells me how much it meant to her that you were there for her, and George. Everyone noticed how much you've grown, and what a great man you turned out to be."

Ron turned a little pink. He wasn't used to compliments. Even today.

"You don't owe anyone anything. If you don't feel up for it, you shouldn't have to go. I don't think Hermione will be disappointed, and I don't think anyone else will either."

Ron stayed silent, thinking about what Bill said.

 **Ginny**

Ginny stared at Hermione and Harry with an annoyed expression on her face.

She missed alcohol.

"You're going to be in so much trouble Potter." She told Harry acidly. Harry was about to take another shot of Firewhiskey.

"Gin." Harry whined. "This is Hermione, drinking. Hermione. Drinking. Hermione..."

"Yes, I get the point." Ginny interrupted Harry.

"I mean who the hell does he think he is?" Hermione said, to no one in particular.

"Do you reckon we could get kicked out of the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked Ginny, stumbling over his words.

"I'm not talking to you." Ginny said to him. "Also, Hannah knew what was going to happen, she gave us this private booth in preparation of this."

"Since when are you and Hannah close?" Harry asked her. Ginny just turned away.

She wasn't furious at him, not talking to him would be a nice, non-alcoholic way of her having fun.

"Gin…" Harry whined again. She looked at the father of her child. He might be stoic and proper on the outside, only she got to see this side of him. Well, her and whoever happened to be in the bar drinking with him. It always made her melt.

"I'm not mad at you Harry, now will you shut up and let me listen to what Hermione is grumbling about?" Ginny asked him. Harry nodded and promptly shut up.

"He thinks he is sooo special." Hermione continued. "Do you know what he said to me Gin?" Hermione asked her. "Do you know what he had the nerve to say to me?"

Merlin, all her friends became especially pathetic when they drank. Hermione was no exception.

"I feel like you're going to tell us anyway, Hermione." Ginny told her.

"He told me he couldn't be at my wedding. Can you fucking believe it?"

Ginny and Harry's mouths fell open.

"Hermione, did you just swear?" Harry asked her, his hands on his chin. He looked like a kid listening to a fairytale.

"Yes." Hermione said. "I. Said. A bad word."

"I'm not perfect, okay?" Hermione told them. "That's what he said to me when we broke up."

"You mean when you dumped him?" Harry asked her innocently. It was nice to know that Harry liked getting in trouble with all the women in his life when he was drunk.

"Oh, is that what that bastard told you?" Hermione asked him. She sounded extremely offended.

"Maybe I should see Hannah about getting us home, yeah?" Ginny asked Harry. She wasn't sure whether they should hear intimate details about her brother's relationship.

"Sit down." Hermione said, imperiously. "You're not going anywhere."

"Still as bossy as ever." Harry cheered. Did Harry always behave like a child when he was drunk? Ginny reckoned she had a lifetime with him to find out.

"It didn't go that way." Hermione told them. "Yes, it started with me, but Ron finished it. He told me that I was perfect, that being with me wasn't good for him mentally, because he always thought he wasn't good enough."

"Er..maybe we should get more drinks." Harry said to Ginny. He was drunk, but he seemed to recognize that the conversation was headed in a serious direction.

"He was the only one who mattered." Hermione said, sobbing. Ginny moved toward her and put her arms around Hermione.

"Thank you." Hermione said, wiping her nose on Ginny's T-shirt.

"Sure." Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "Magic will clean that right up, you can use my t-shirt to wipe your nose."

"Thank you." Hermione mumbled.

"I don't even want to marry Victor." Hermione said, slowly. "I love him, but, it's always been Ron."

"I don't think that's true Hermione." Harry spoke up. He seemed to have sobered up over the last minute. He looked alert, like he was on a mission.

"You two were miserable together. Ginny heard all about your fights with him, and I heard all about them too." Harry said. "Your moods improved the minute you broke up with each other."

As much as she hated to admit it, Harry had a point. They were unhappy for a while when they broke up, but they were unhappy for longer when they were together.

"How are you guys doing?"

Ginny looked at Hannah Abbot, who was now standing with Ron in tow. His eyes looked red. He was staggering. He looked like he'd had a bit too much to drink.

"I found him outside." Hannah said sheepishly. "He'd been to our place, looking for you, and Neville told him that you were here, so."

"Oh, this just got interesting." Harry said to no one in particular.

No one said anything, and Ginny took a chance to look at everyone in the room. Hannah looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. She'd gotten rather close with Hermione and Ginny, and she was aware of how awkward the situation was. Ron looked furious. Her brother had mellowed out over the last few years, she rarely ever saw him with genuine anger in his eyes. Harry just looked like he was having fun. Hermione looked as furious as Ron, glaring daggers at him.

"Yes, so I'm going to leave. Let me know when you guys are done okay?" Hannah said as she made her exit. Ginny swore Hannah wasn't even looking at them when she said that.

"You're at a bar." Ron said to Ginny as he sat down beside Harry. "You shouldn't be drinking."

"Don't remind me of that." Ginny said to him. "Also, I'm not. I've been watching them drink." She pointed at Hermione and Ron.

"I've been drinking too." Ron told her.

"What a shocker!"

"You have some nerve." Hermione said, slowly.

"Oh boy." Harry piped in. Ginny chose to stay quiet.

"You have some nerve coming here." Hermione said to him.

"Some nerve? I'm here because of the response you sent to me." Ron told her, raising his voice.

"I only called you an arse for being selfish, I think it was appropriate." Hermione said, matching the level of his voice.

This was the beginning of a classic Ron and Hermione argument. As uncomfortable as Ginny felt now, she missed this a little.

"Maybe we should calm down." Ginny said. Harry was just sniggering. Prat. "You're not helping Harry." Ginny said sharply. Harry shut up.

"You're right. Not here." Hermione said to him.

"My place or yours?" Ron asked Hermione.

"What is happening right now?" Ginny asked no one in particular.

"Not your place, it's still a dump." Hermione said to Ron. "Do you ever clean up?"

"Not your place either then." Ron told her. "Isn't darling Viktor home?"

"Why don't you find out?" Hermione said, standing up and walking out of the bar.

Ron followed her. Before Ginny could stand up, she heard two cracks.

"Is everything okay?" Harry asked Ginny.

Ginny just stared at him.

 **Hermione**

There were no arguments when they got home. The first thing they did as soon as they got home was kiss each other.

Hermione felt herself melting into his arms as they kissed. She'd missed this more than anything else in the world.

Just as she was beginning to enjoy just how good he felt, and tasted, the kissing stopped.

"This is a mistake." Ron told her.

Hermione wanted to tell Ron it wasn't a mistake. She wanted him to tell her that he missed this as much as she did.

"I'm going to go now." Ron said to her, as he walked out of the door.

Hermione just stared at the door.

She heard some cracks. Ginny had followed them home.

"For the love of Merlin, what did you guys do?" Ginny asked her. Hermione just stared at Ginny, and a very drunk looking Harry. She wanted to stay strong, but she could feel herself tearing up again.

 **Harry**

Harry woke up with a headache that was about as terrible as when his scar used to hurt.

"Have a good night, Harry?" Harry looked at Ginny, who was glaring at him.

At first, Harry wasn't sure why Ginny was glaring at him, and then it came back to him in a flash.

"Oh God." He said, bring his palms to his face.

"It wasn't a very nice thing, that happened yesterday." Ginny told Harry.

Harry closed his eyes, trying to picture the flood of memories coming back to him. He vaguely remembered Ron, being as drunk as he was, if not more, he remembered Ginny, trying to shush him.

"I am so sorry Ginny." Harry told her. "I should have watched myself."

It was hard for Ginny to stay mad at Harry, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Do you remember anything else about what happened yesterday?" She asked him instead.

Harry thought about it, and a look of realization dawned in his eyes.

"They went home together." He said, finally. Ginny nodded.

"We followed them." Harry continued.

"Ron wasn't there. He'd already gone, and Hermione was crying." Ginny told him. "She refused to talk about it and sent us on our way."

Harry felt bad for Ginny. As someone who'd known Ron and Hermione for the around thirteen years now, he was already used to the drama the two would bring with them. Ginny hadn't really seen it all that much, and clearly wasn't taking it very well.

"Was it always like this between them?" She asked Harry, who nodded.

"It was somehow worse, Gin." Harry told Ginny. "You have no idea how awkward sixth year was."

"Well." Ginny said, thoughtfully. "I did have a bit of an idea, I mean you couldn't stop staring at me."

Harry smiled. His inner monster hadn't surfaced since Ginny and he had gotten together.

"I'm just glad we don't have this kind of drama." Ginny told him.

"That's probably because we are two compatible adults."

"Do you think Ron and Hermione aren't compatible?" Ginny asked him.

"Can you honestly say they are? I mean, it worked for a bit, but they made each other miserable. Hermione is way too uptight, and Ron was way too concerned about pleasing her all the time."

"He just had to act like a regular boyfriend, Harry."

Harry thought about it. With Ginny, he didn't have to worry too much about whether he was good enough for her, but if were to put himself in Ron's shoes, could he honestly say that he wouldn't feel the way Ron did?

"What?" Ginny asked him.

"I'm thinking." Harry told Ginny. "Do you think they…"

"They what?"

"Do you think something happened?"

"What do you mean by something happened, Harry?"

"Do you think they did something physical?"

Now it was Ginny's turn to think. Harry stared at her as she furrowed her brows. God, she looked cute doing that.

"I mean, it was a very tight window, how long do you think Ron lasts in bed?"

Harry would have spat his drink out, if he had any in his mouth.

"That's your brother, and my best friend, also like a brother." He told her, scandalized.

"Surely, you've discussed sex with him?"

"Do you think two blokes just talk about sex all the time?" Harry asked her, offended.

"Well, not all the time, but most of the time?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah." He said, sounding rather stupid. Ginny hit him on his arms.

Before he could ask Ginny about what he'd done to deserve the beating, he heard Hermione's voice calling out from the floo.

"You want to go see what that's about love?" Harry asked her. Ginny shook her head.

"You let your wife to be watch as you got drunk and had a merry ol' time in a pub, it's your turn to handle this mess." Ginny said to him. "I'm going back to sleep."

As he went downstairs, Harry wondered what he'd done to deserve Ginny, and mentally thanked whatever forces there were at work that led him to her.

 **I guess things are getting rather dramatic for our four characters. Let me know if there are any things you might want to see for this story, and if I like your ideas, I'd consider writing them. Please do leave a review with praise/constructive criticism and follow the story if you'd like to see more.**


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